1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus that forms an image on a record medium, the image forming apparatus including a function of discriminating a type and the like of the record medium.
2. Description of the Related Art
In forming an image on a record medium, it may be impossible to perform appropriate image formation if a fixing condition or a conveyance condition is kept fixed. Thus, conventionally, in an image forming apparatus, the fixing condition or the conveyance condition is controlled according to a type of the record medium.
In giving information on the record medium to a control unit of the image forming apparatus, it is conceivable that a user sets classification information of the record medium. However, an image forming apparatus having means for classifying a record medium built therein taking operability into account has been proposed (e.g., JP-A-2004-294426).
This image forming apparatus includes a speckle measuring unit, vibrates a record medium on a conveying path, measures a movement or a change of a speckle due to a movement of the record medium to obtain a vector pattern, compares the vector pattern with speckles stored in a storing unit in association with types of record media, detects a type of the record medium, and changes a recording condition and a fixing condition according to the type of the record medium detected.